Congress Must Pass a Practical, Sustainable Immigration Reform Plan

Congress has attempted immigration reform 41 times in the past 225 years but has not come up with a way to sustainably fund any form of legislation. It’s beyond time to end the tough talk, the dramatics and the uncertainty that the immigration debate has generated. Instead, lawmakers need to focus on funding.

The nonpartisan Immigrant Tax Inquiry Group (ITIG) offers a serious, long-term plan that would generate the revenue the legislation would need to address the immigration problem plaguing our country. ITIG calls their simple nonpartisan approach the Five + Five solution. It’s a way for U.S. taxpayers to get billions in new revenue, without adding to their own tax burden. The plan starts with a small payment from employers who hire unauthorized immigrants, and from those immigrants themselves.

Specifically, the Five + Five plan calls for unauthorized immigrants to pay 5% of their income — matched by another 5% from their employers. In return, unauthorized immigrants will be granted a 10-year work permit, called the REALcard. (The REAL acronym stands for Respect, Equality, Accountability and Legality for all involved.) It’s a simple, just and practical approach that makes unauthorized immigrants and their employers accountable while enabling them to be part of the solution.

The Five + Five plan will generate $210 billion and create 1.7 million jobs over 10 years. It will help fund education, healthcare, community centers, the legal system, government services, infrastructure, and other essential services. Revenue from ITIG’s Five + Five solution will be directed to each state by the IRS, which can help fund the following priorities:

America needs a simple solution to immigration reform that provides the funding required to support the legislation. ITIG’s Five + Five plan offers a third way between the two extremes of mass citizenship and mass deportation.